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Everyone wins in the end, say Marsden bosses

December 27 2011, 12:01am, The Times

The Royal Marsden Hospital in West London is the model to which ministers point when they insist that private work will not affect the treatment of NHS patients. Last year the hospital took a quarter of its income, £45 million, from private patients. That has not hindered its reputation as one of the top cancer centres in the NHS.

The Marsden has the highest cap in the NHS, having long treated large numbers of private patients. It says its income from private patients allows it to invest more in research, which ultimately benefits NHS patients.

However, the hospital has been criticised by unions over plans to boost private income by almost 40 per cent over the next two years, having just opened a £6 million…